passing feelings as to assurance. May you be led to live upon Christ, walking with God and for God; and in this path sooner or later your hope shall brighten, to the praise of the glory of His grace.

But, my dear hearers, I must conclude. I would only caution you, who through grace look up to God as a Father, not to live in the region of perpetual questioning. Some appear to me to be always living in ceaseless questionings and doubtings, whether they are sincere, whether they have given their hearts to the Lord or not. I would only say, if you through grace have been been led to receive Christ and His salvation, endless questionings only weaken. For as the helmet strengthens and defends, unbelief weakens and exposes. While I would have you take nothing for granted but what God gives you, do not live in the region of ceaseless questionings; it weakens all the power of faith in you. But oh! how thankful should you be for the least measure of good hope! Oh! remember what is the basis of a good hope-God's promise. Do you ask what "a good hope through grace is ?" That, my brother, is a good hope through grace, that has God for its object, the Lord Jesus Christ as its foundation, and holiness as its end. Wherever this is, there is a good hope; and he that hath this hope, shall never be ashamed. Keep close by the standard of the Word. How many make themselves wretched, they cannot tell us why; and unhappy, they cannot tell us wherefore! It is in "patience and comfort of the Scriptures, that we have hope." They that would live in the region of hope, must live in the region of Divine truth. Be thankful for the grace that you have. Have you any hope? Pray for its increase. Pray for the increase of your faith, pray for the increase of your love, pray for the increase of your uprightness and tenderness of conscience; and let me say, pray above all that this truth may be realised in your soul, that we read of in the sixth of the Hebrews, when the apostle gives that exhortation to "give all diligence." Observe on what he bases diligence-on the promises of God: "that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us in the Gospel." And for that strong consolation, for the least evidence of grace in you who have fled to Christ for refuge, may God give you grace to be thankful; may He give you grace to be prayerful; may He give you grace to be abundant in hope, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

And to Him, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, a triune Jehovah, be all the praise.

A SERMON,

BY THE REV. J. H. EVANS, M.A.

PREACHED AT JOHN STREET CHAPEL, KING'S ROAD, BEDFORD ROW, ON SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE 22, 1845.

"The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."-Eph. vi. 17.

We have remarked that the greater part of the Christian soldier's armour is for defence. That arises from the inestimable treasure he has to protect. A soul-oh! did you but know its worth as ye never yet have known it! He has a soul with such capacities of enjoyment, with such duration, enduring as long as God shall endure. And in that soul a new and Divine nature; and the faith that is of the operation of God; the love of Christ; a desire of holiness,-a treasure compared with which all that is in this world is just reduced to nothing. No wonder, then, surrounded as the believer is by so many enemies, so strong, and all watching moment by moment to spoil him, it excites no surprise, I say, that the greater part of his armour should be for his protection. Therefore there are so many passages which we read-and you may easily add to their number by studying the Word of God-such as this in the fifth chapter of the first epistle to the Thessalonians-" prove all things, hold fast that which is good"-hold it fast. So in the fourth chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews, and the fourteenth verse: "let us hold fast our profession." I need scarcely go on quoting, because I would merely introduce a line of thought, that you may, as you take it to the Word of God, find ample confirmation there. But in the second chapter of the Revelation, and the twenty-fifth verse, there is a passage which I

would pray that you and I might experience more of, than ever we have done already-" Hold fast till I come." Would that as a nation we might learn out that lesson. And observe too, in the third verse of the next chapter, "Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent." And again, in the eleventh verse, "Behold, I come quickly; hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.' When there is so much of preciousness then, there is much need for defence.

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But the believer is called upon to fight as well as to defend. He is not merely to guard what he has, but he is to attack; not merely VOL. XI.-No. 392.-July 3, 1845.

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to protect what he has, but he is to make advances into the enemy's country. He has therefore not merely the shield, but he has the sword; and that very sword is for the double purpose of defence and of assault. Oh! did we more remember this too, that the believer, while his chief carefulness and prayerfulness ought to be to maintain what he has, yet is called upon day by day to maintain the fight in assault and attack upon his spiritual enemies; that he is often called upon to make an attack upon the world, to be aggressive as well as defensive; that when principle is attacked, we are not only to defend our principles, but to protest and show our principles, let the consequences be what they may.

Here I would just remark, that in that passage in the second chapter of the Revelation, and the third verse, much stress is laid him that overcometh;" not merely on safety, but on "him that overcometh."

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There are two points for our prayerful thought and holy consideration. First of all remark, that the "sword of the Spirit" is the "Word of God;" and then let us, observe, secondly, the exhortation to take it; "take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."

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I. With regard to the first point, then. Here we would remark in the beginning, that the Word of God is the great means whereby the Spirit of God confounds our enemies; not only protects us, but causes us to make advances against our enemies. I do not say, beloved, that it is the only weapon He uses; far from it, there are a variety; I would merely say, that the "Word of God" goes through all the other parts of the armour. Is it sincerity? Ah! it is that sincerity that is connected with the Word of God. Is it the breastplate of righteousness? It is the breastplate that has its materials in the directions of God's Word. Is it preparedness of spirit, to which we are exhorted in the fifteenth verse? It is that which springs from a Gospel of peace, that which is pre-eminently connected with God's Word, the glory of which is that Gospel. Do we speak of the shield of faith? Faith presents God's Word, and Him who is the substance of God's Word, Jesus, and God in Him. The helmet of salvation, that hope of which we have been lately endeavouring to speak, is that hope which is founded in God's Word; for that hope that has not God's Word for its foundation, is baseless. And now this "sword of the Spirit" is the Word of God. This is the great weapon which He draws and puts into the bands of His saints, and enables them to fight the good warfare, and advance against their enemies. I do not deny, that the Lord the Spirit oftentimes makes use of other weapons. He makes use sometimes of providential circumstances. We know but little how great importance, there is in holy education; training up children in the way they should go; and, above all, exhibiting the one testimony of lip and life to them-the one testi

mony. We do not deny, that the Lord makes use of even the uninspired writings of uninspired men; I dare not deny it-otherwise I should never preach any more. Neither do I deny, that tradition, about which we hear so much in the present day, if it agree with the Word of God, may be made a blessing. If it do not so agree, it is falsehood, it has no edge, no point; it is all a lie, a delusion; but as far as it agrees with the Word of God, the Holy Spirit makes use of it, and He may still make use of it. But the great weapon whereby He works is the Word, the pure Word of God. Such is the glory of this sword, the Spirit alone is the author of it; its workmanship is from Him; He gives it all its edge, He gives it its brightness, and the hand that lays hold upon it too; and He gives all the power that shall ever accompany it. Great is the glory of God's Word; it is the "hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces," and the fire that makes the heat: but especially now let us look at it as the "sword of the Spirit."

It is true of the whole Word of God. What wondrous power there is in God's holy law, when He unsheathes that sword! "I was alive," says the apostle, "without the law once;" I was a good man in my own eyes, full of my own righteousness, full of my own wisdom, full of my own power, full of my own goodness,-"I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died."-(Romans vii. 9.) That is, when the Holy Spirit unsheathed this sword, and put this sword into my conscience, led me to see the sin of my own soul, told me all that I am, and all that I was, then "I died." All my goodness was gone, all my holiness was fled, all my righteousness made to itself wings and departed, and "I died." I was a hopeless man; all my life was taken from me, and "I died." Thus the law is called the "ministration of death," for that reason; for it never was the "ministration of life," to a poor fallen sinner, and it never can be. It is the "ministration of death ;" and happy they who have been brought thus far in their way; happy, if they have only been brought to this stage; for the death of legal hope is the beginning of spiritual life. "The

But the great weapon whereby He works, is the Gospel. preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness; but to those who are saved, the power of God." "We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God." We desire to lift up the glory of His person; we desire to exhibit the perfection of His work. We would enlarge upon the glory of His righteousness. We desire to speak of Him-we attempt rather than do speak of Him. We would set forth His unparalleled beauty, glory, and excellency. We would set Him forth as the loveliest among the sons of men; the "chiefest amongst ten thousand, and the altogether lovely." We would describe the inexhaustible fulness of His grace, and we would

speak of the awful danger of those who tamper with Him. "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation ?" Let not Satan drive you away from that truth. "How shall you escape, if you neglect so great salvation ?" These are God's words;-leave human systems-these are God's words. Therefore we would put before men the awful consequences of rejecting Christ; and the blessed invitation given to poor sinners, and the broad welcome, and the unutterable blessedness connected with a real reception of the crucified Son of God.

But who can give all these things power? We speak of them; but when the Spirit of God unsheathes the sword, what heart can stand up against it? What nature is there so obdurate, what heart so flinty, but He can in one moment pierce through it? Look at those three thousand men-the three thousand in the Acts of the Apostles-rebellious characters, Pharisees, lawless misinterpreters of the law, haters of Christ, who had just imbrued their hands in His blood. Now see the sword drawn, and these three thousand smitten by one sermon. See their pride turned into humility; see their malice turned into gentleness, see their cruelty turned into love; see their self-righteousness laid down as a filthy thing, and the Lord Jesus Christ and His righteousness, welcomed according to the measure of light they had! Who was the author of all this? Was it human talent? Was it human power? Was it human reasoning? I see nothing of this in the sermon of the apostle; for it was a simple declaration of the Word of God, accompanied with the Spirit of God. I see no fine points, I see no depths, I see no attempts at oratory; I see a plain, unlettered man, preaching Christ, and the Holy Ghost setting it home on the consciences of these three thousand, and they are all smitten to the earth. It was not the presence of our Lord that did it. It was not miracles that did it. No; it was not even the personal presence of the Lord Jesus that did it. It was the preaching of the Gospel. It was the preaching of the Word by the power of the Holy Ghost, that smote their souls, and brought them down to the dust. Here was the sword unsheathed by the Spirit, and it was "quick and powerful."

Oh! what a thing is conversion! Oh! what a mighty change! Look at that passage in the third chapter of Titus, and the third verse. "For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour"-His philanthropy, (it is a beautiful word; His philanthropy, His love of man)" the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according